NYC Restaurant Week Summer 2017

New York Restaurant Week is back, and it is a time for people to live the “high life” and get a good deal at normally fancy and expensive restaurants. However, as restaurant week gets bigger and bigger, it becomes hard to decipher which restaurants are worth the splurge, and which ones are a waste of money.

This is by no means a comprehensive list of all the good options, but it is what I consider the best bang for your buck/great establishments all around. As Restaurant Week continues, I’ll add to this list as I see fit. And if you have any expert suggestions, feel free to email me at befatbehappy1@gmail.com.

I’ve been to Chef’s Club during restaurant week, as well as outside of, and I think that this establishment does an expert job at keeping consistent with quality and portion size regardless of the huge discount. They are also constantly innovating and creating exciting dishes. Huge bonus – their restaurant week menu is quite extensive in comparison to other restaurants, so you’ll have no shortage of options.

Pig and Khao is overall a fantastic restaurant, where the food they serve is simultaneously exotic and comforting. With a fun and unpretentious atmosphere and fitting music playlist for the area, you’ll most certainly have a great experience here. We highly recommend going here for either dinner or brunch, but we’d say brunch because past restaurant week, this place has a year round 5 Course Chef’s Tasting Menu (Sunday-Thursday), and that is pretty great. HOWEVER, if you do choose to go for dinner, you get an extra course (4 instead of 3), so that’s even more bang for your buck.

From the Batali and Bastianich empire, Esca is their seafood-inspired Italian restaurant with fish expert Dave Pasternack behind the scenes. This establishment is much more underrated in comparison to their more famous restaurants, and it is time Esca gets some credit. I have been going here every year for restaurant week, and it has yet to disappoint. There is no set menu, as it is dependent on what they have fresh in the kitchen. However, they usually have an option to start with crudo (which I highly recommend), and I almost always go with the seafood pasta dish for my main course. Perfect for the summer, their seafood dishes are light, delicious, and a refreshing and take on what you’re used to experiencing from an Italian restaurant.

Admittedly, I have never been to Root & Bone for restaurant week, but I have been for a regular meal, and all my favorite items are on the restaurant week menu. PLUS, in addition to the 3 courses, you get a side of Mac & Cheese and Watermelon to share for the table. Talk about a delicious bonus.

This is another place I’ve been to for Restaurant Week several times, and it is always solid. I have gone for both lunch and dinner, and I think lunch may be a bit more worth it; however, there are more options with supplemental charges at lunch. This is another restaurant with a large and varied menu for Restaurant Week, and the menu changes every season. This deal is certainly great in comparison to what they usually charge, and you will feel quite chic dining in this SoHo hot spot.